Altered beast: Ford F-150 Raptor
“Being the king of the hill is what keeps me awake at night,” says Ehab Kaoud, chief designer for Ford Trucks. Car Design News spoke to him about the latest iteration of the Raptor
When Ford unveiled the third generation F-150 Raptor, keen observers picked up on a few details that suggested the design team had learnt lessons from the previous two iterations. The mega-truck debuted in 2010 and remains a key weapon in Ford’s arsenal. A stretched grille, fender and quarter panel imbued the Raptor with a wider-looking stance to achieve a Baja-racer like design.
Though a success, the design team felt the finished article lacked the muscularity needed to complete the package. For the 2016 model, Ford’s team put the Raptor on design steroids, with character-lines chiselled into the hood, fenders and bodyside. The front end, however, rowed back somewhat from its desert racer roots - a shortened grille and body-coloured fascia between grille and headlights softened its look.
The 2021 edition blends elements from both previous models to hit a design sweet spot: an aggressive, agile appearance that stays true to its desert racing heritage. The stretched grille of Mark 1 is back, as are the bodyside feature lines and hood, fenders and front fascia character lines.
Car Design News spoke to Ehab Kaoud, chief designer, Ford trucks, to find out more about the design thinking underpinning the new F-150 Raptor.
Car Design News: How do you take elements from two earlier iterations without creating a fudge or compromise of a design?
Ehab Kaoud: Raptor is a desert racer. Understanding this, it allows us to hone closer to where it needs to be positioned visually. You look at any Paris-Dakar, Baja vehicles, you will see certain attributes: a desert racer is light on its wheels, tire size is a strong visual element, it sits higher than other vehicles on the road, a desert racer is a much wider vehicle than its base version
Every part of any racing vehicle serves a function. Nothing is there for pure entertainment. Form always follows function. Understanding that is half the battle. Now I know tires will play an important role on the truck. Thus, the 37” tires, which are the largest size tire on a stock vehicle in the marketplace. Thus, the feature line sculpted on the front and rear fenders. They begin on the front of every wheel lip on the truck, they are scooped out, fading to nothing as they move rearward. This denotes agility, dynamic and speed. We also have a functional fender vent. We have done several iterations of that until we arrived at a design that is modern, built Ford tough and functional at the same time.
Car Design News: What are the main points of difference from the 2nd generation?
Ehab Kaoud: We also created the coast-to-coast grill, denoting a wider stance than the 2nd generation. The F-O-R-D on the front grille, which is the strong element of a Raptor front end, is more sculpted, bigger and is now more like a bar that ties the front end together. The skid plate and lower grille is also much wider, giving the vehicle a stronger visual stance. The forward edge of the hood is simplified with one uninterrupted straight line, contributing the width perception. The more aggressive hood vent is not only functional, but it is visually entertaining and beautifully sculpted.
All of this is accentuated with exciting signature lighting graphics. The upside down “L” shaped turn signal, when seen in a rear-view mirror, you’ll know you are about to be overtaken by the new Raptor. The marker lights which sit on top of the grill between the headlamps and on each corner of the truck are now light pipes, and not those three little Christmas lights, adds more character to an already iconic look.
Car Design News: What were the pitfalls you had to avoid?
Ehab Kaoud: This is a vehicle you can live with daily. The road command position of the driver, the spacious interior, the creature comforts it offers and the driving dynamics. The truck paradigm shifted, and it is never going back. Being the king of the hill is for sure what keeps me awake at night. There is no room for complacency in this business. What is comforting to me is how Ford continues to methodically innovate and strategically create new and exciting products. Products that are segment formers, and path leaders in the marketplace.
Car Design News: Can you pinpoint the most challenging aspect of the project?
Ehab Kaoud: Vehicles like the Raptor, the Ford GT, the Shelby GT350 are under a small team who are totally nuts about cars and trucks. This team is Ford Performance. They are more than happy and willing to disrupt and innovate. Getting the 37” tire was pitched to me by one of the engineers, but we grabbed onto the idea and did not let it go until it came to pass. Making sure that all the parts and features on the vehicle have the functional authenticity and are holistic visually to the overall design of the truck. This meant constant back and forth collaboration between us and the Ford Performance team.
Car Design News: Could you sum up the F-150 Raptor in one word?
Ehab Kaoud: That is easy. Authentic.
Car Design News: How long before we see an EV version of the Raptor?
Ehab Kaoud: No comment on that one. Will just leave it at that.